


Oh No

by Pokeharvest



Series: One Piece One Shots/Drabbles [7]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Child Death, Childhood Friends, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Reader is Kuina's sister, Running Away, childhood crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeharvest/pseuds/Pokeharvest
Summary: You haven't seen Zoro since the age of ten, and you're in for a big surprise.(I'd write more but I don't want to spoil too much ahhh)
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Reader
Series: One Piece One Shots/Drabbles [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989934
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey! Fight me!" Zoro exclaimed, much to your dismay.

"Pssh. Why would I fight a string bean like you _again?_ " Kuina scoffed, folding her arms. You stood off to the side, closer to the wall, watching the encounter go down. A clear frown was on your face.

" **WHO ARE YOU CALLING STRING BEAN?! I'LL BEAT YOU ANY DAY!** "

"Fine then, let's go." Kuina pulled out her sword. In less than three minutes, Zoro was on the floor, Kuina standing proudly above him. "That was win 2000, if I'm not mistaken." Zoro growled as he got up and stormed off. Just as you were about to follow him, your older sister called out to you.

"Don't go after him. He's not worth it." Biting your lip hesitantly, you finally responded.

"Okay, Kuina." You walked over to a training dummy, and began to practice.

As the day continued, many of the dojo's students challenged you, and you beat them all easily. The one exception was Zoro. He never tried to challenge you. Ever. He only went after Kuina. You pondered the situation as you struck your training dummy. Why did he never try to challenge you? You were just as good as Kuina. You even beat her a few times. Granted, your father never tried to have you two fight that often, not wanting to make it turn into a sibling rivalry. But it was too late for that once Zoro arrived and stole your heart. As long as Zoro continued to challenge Kuina as opposed to you, you would always feel inferior.

Wiping the thin sheen of sweat from your forehead, you noticed it was getting late, the sun already hidden behind the horizon. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of movement. Swiftly turning around and pointing your weapon towards the possible threat, you saw Zoro with some swords. Not wooden swords, _real_ swords.

"What are you doing?!" You whispered, sheathing your sword.

"I'm gonna fight Kuina. And I'm gonna win this time!" His statement earned a huff from you.

"Well...stay safe." Zoro scoffed at your concern, hoping the dusk would hide the small blush on his face.

"Whatever." He said before running off. Your mouth tugged downward into a frown as you watched him. Sighing, you turned around and got ready for bed.

As you laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, worry filled your mind. Zoro hasn't worked with real swords yet. He could seriously injure himself. Throwing the sheets off of you, you decided to stay up and wait for Zoro, just in case he was hurt. Once reaching the steps of the dojo, you saw Zoro and Kuina already sitting. They got up, and were shocked to see you standing before them.

"What are you doing up still? It's past your bedtime," Kuina tutted, dragging you along with her towards your bedroom.

"It's past your bedtime too, Kuina! And wait just a minute," you said, yanking your wrist out of her grip. "Zoro's hurt." You rushed over to him, tenderly caressing his face in your hands, examining his injuries.

"I'm fi-" he started, only to be cut off by you.

"You're not fine. You got hurt. Let me take care of it." Kuina's mouth formed a thin line.

"Once you take care of him, go straight to bed," Kuina said sternly before walking away.

Leading Zoro to the bathroom, you muttered under your breath.

"She needs to stop bossing me around. I'm only one year younger..." Zoro didn't hear you though, his heart was racing a mile a minute at the fact that you were holding his hand. Letting go, you pointed to the toilet.

"Sit over there, let me get the stuff out." Zoro wordlessly sat down on the covered toilet, swinging his legs slightly while you rummaged around for the first aid kid. Wetting a cloth with alcohol, you warned Zoro. "This is going to sting, okay?" Zoro nodded. As soon as you touched the cold cloth to him, he pulled back with a wince.

" _Ow!_ "

"Hey! I told you it was going to sting!" You chided. Slowly, Zoro brought his head forward, allowing you to clean his wounds once more. Gently, you put the cloth to the scrape on his forehead. Zoro was all too aware that your faces were mere inches apart. You seemed oblivious, however, and continued to tend to his wounds. His face grew red just thinking about the proximity between you two. Finished sanitizing his cuts, you pulled back, finally noticing his flushed face.

"Hey, are you okay? Your face is red. Did you catch a fever?" You put your hand to his forehead, trying to see if he had a temperature.

"N-No. I'm good."

"...Okay." Bringing out the bandages, you began to cover the cuts. Finally, you asked him the question you'd always wanted answered. "Why do you always fight Kuina?" A smile grew on Zoro's face.

"Well, I want to be the greatest swordsman!"

"Yeah, but you don't need to fight Kuina. There are other-"

"No!" Zoro's sudden outburst made you freeze, and look him in the eyes curiously. "I need to beat the best."

"So, I'm not good enough?"

"Huh?" He asked, finally noticing that you stopped bandaging him.

"I'm not as good as Kuina? Is that what you're saying?"

"What I'm saying is-"

"What you're saying is that Kuina is better than me. You said you need to beat the best, and you only fight Kuina. Therefore, Kuina is the best. Not _me._ " Hot streams of tears flowed down your face now. Zoro opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it. "You know what? Go have Kuina clean you up. You probably think she does it better, anyway." You walked out of the bathroom. Zoro was left dumbfounded, unsure of what to do. Deciding to run after you, he hopped off the toilet, and dashed out. Not knowing where your room was, he just ran in a direction, hoping to find you.

Hastily stuffing your belongings into a duffle bag and tying a couple of sheathed swords ( _real_ swords) to your waist, you wiped the tears from your face. Scanning the room for anything you might have missed, you saw the picture of you and Kuina together. You were posed outside the dojo, arms around each other and smiles wide. Taking the picture out of the frame, you ripped it in half, separating yourself from Kuina. Tossing the pieces on the floor, you got up and left the room.

Knowing no one else was up except Zoro (who you could easily beat), the only thing you did to conceal your escape was walk quieter than usual. Passing by the bathroom, you noticed it was empty.

"Idiot must have gotten himself lost looking for me," you thought. You filled your bag with as much food and water as you could before stepping outside. Glancing back at the dojo, another tear fell from your face. Quickly wiping it away, you walked away from your home and into the night. Nearing the docks, you saw a lone buoy. It was small, but it was big enough to fit your needs. Once you got in, you untied the boat and let it sail free to wherever fate would take you next.

Meanwhile, Zoro was still running around and looking for you. He couldn't navigate through the dojo well, so he decided to search for you in the forest.

"Where...could she be...?" He huffed, out of breath. Slumping down near a tree, his eyes began to flutter closed. "N-No...I can't fall asleep...I need to...find her." He tried to get up, but his exhaustion was too great. He fell against the tree and felt his eyes close. When he woke up, the sun was already out, beaming down on him. Remembering the events of last night, his eyes flew open and he raced to the dojo. Upon his arrival, Zoro saw people flooding the entrance. Pushing his way through the crowd, he saw your father put a cloth over Kuina's face.

"S-Sensei! What-"

"Zoro...Kuina is...gone. She fell down the stairs last night." Zoro's eyes began to flood with tears.

" **NO! YOU CAN'T DIE NOW! WE MADE A PROMISE! REMEMBER?!** " Your father began to lead Zoro away from Kuina's body.

"Zoro...do you know where (Y/n) is? We kept calling for her...only to find her room barren."

"Sensei, I...she..." he began, trying to explain what happened through his tears and hiccups. "She got upset...and ran...I tried to follow her...but I...I couldn't find her..."

"It's okay Zoro, we'll find her. Sooner or later." Your father patted Zoro's head, and pulled something out of his pocket. "Do you know anything about this?" He held up the two halves of the picture that you had ripped. "Kuina was holding this." Zoro shakily took the halves from him, finally putting everything together, realizing you left because he had made you feel inferior. Not wanting to make your father feel guilty in any way for your running away, he lied.

"N-No, Sensei." Your father solemnly nodded. "Sensei?" Zoro looked into your father's eyes, tears still streaming down his face. "May I keep this picture? And Kuina's sword?" A sad smile grew on your father's face.

"Of course."

———————————————————

Cracking your eyes open, you saw the sun high in the sky. Sitting up with a groan, you took out a small piece of bread for your breakfast. Munching on it, you began to plan out your future.

"How am I gonna make money? What do people my age do to get a job?" You asked out loud. Looking around at the wide ocean, you saw a small island off in the distance. "Guess I'll go there. But I need to be somewhere where I can still hone my skills. I need to become someone worthy of being challenged by Zoro." Swallowing the last of your breakfast, you began to row towards the tiny speck in the distance. "Maybe I'll be a bounty hunter. Then I'll be able to practice and get money."

Landing on the dock of the new island, you grabbed your swords and duffle bag and headed off. A couple of pirates spotted you, and sniggered. Stalking up to you, they laughed.

"Hey little girl, are you lost?" Ignoring them, you continued on. "Hey! Don't ignore me when I'm talking!" The pirate grabbed your shoulder and spun you around. What he didn't expect, however, was for you to unsheathe your sword and point it at his throat.

"My guess is that there are bounties on your head. Are there?" You stepped forward until the pirate backed himself into the nearby wall.

"N-No! I'm just an underling! The one with the bounty is my captain."

"Lead me to him."

"Y-Yes!" In less than five minutes, you brought the pirate captain bound up to the local Marine base.

"I'm here to claim a bounty."

———————————————————

Sleepily walking outside, Zoro picked up the newspaper from the dojo's porch as he had for the past seven years. Unfolding it, he nearly dropped it in shock.

"Sensei! Look at this!" He yelled, slamming the newspaper down on the table. Your father looked at the front cover, reading the headline.

"(Y/n) the Prodigy," he began. Continuing, he read the article. "(Y/n) the Prodigy has been protecting the people of (I/n) Island for seven years. Originally from Shimotsuki Village, she had run away at the age of ten and arrived at (I/n) Island. The first thing she did? Cash in a bounty of a local pirate terrorizing the island. As the years went by, (Y/n)'s talents grew, and she became feared among the local pirates." Zoro burst out suddenly.

"It's her, Sensei! She's still alive! We can go-" He was cut off by your father, reading on from further down the article.

"However, with the new funds to upgrade the nearly run-down Marine base, her skills are no longer needed. (Y/n), now 17, will be leaving (I/n) Island in search of bigger bounties. (Y/n) has chosen not to share a current picture, as to be able to take new pirates reading this by surprise." On the front page of the newspaper was a picture of your ten-year-old self, swords in hand.

"Please, Sensei! Let me take a boat, I'll go over to the island and bring her back before she leaves!"

"No." Zoro pounded his fist against the table in frustration.

"What?! It's your daughter! It's been seven years! She doesn't even know about-"

"I need to be with you. You'll get lost." Zoro grumbled at his teacher's statement, embarrassed.

"Fine. Let's go." After a few hours of tense sailing, Zoro and your father set foot on your island. Walking around town, they asked the first person they saw about you.

"Oh, (Y/n)? She already left town, I'm sorry."

"Did she say where she was going?!" Zoro urged.

"No, sorry. She just said she was going somewhere with lots of good bounties." Seeing how mad Zoro was getting, your father thanked the woman and led Zoro away.

"Dammit!" Zoro cried, hitting the wall of the nearby building. "She can't be gone far, let's follow her an-"

"No, Zoro. She needs to go her own way. She was always rebellious like that." Zoro's face turned somber as he formed a new resolution in his head.

"Then I'll just become a bounty hunter myself. I'll find her, Sensei. I promise."

———————————————————

"Here's another one, boys," you said, throwing the tied-up pirate on the floor. Grabbing the wanted poster from your hands, the Marine double checked that it was the right person. The Marine took the pirate from you, and nodded.

"Alright, I'll be back with the money." Looking idly around the Loguetown Marine base, your mind began to wander. Loguetown was a great place for bounties since so many pirates stopped by before attempting to enter the Grand Line, but it was starting to get boring. You'd be lying if you said the Grand Line wasn't calling to you to explore it. Hearing footsteps behind you, you looked up at the source. The only thing you saw was a head of blue hair before you looked back down.

"No...it couldn't be...?!" You thought, mind racing. "She can't be here!" The Marine came back with your money.

"Here you go ma'am." Grabbing the money from his hand, you hurriedly shoved it in your pocket, trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"Yeah yeah yeah, thanks." Spinning around on your heel, you try to dash for the door, only to collide into someone else.

"I'm sorry-" you apologized, stopping once you saw who it was. The blue-haired girl. She was currently on her knees, stammering about her glasses. Seeing them on the floor, you picked them up for her. Hesitantly, you handed them over. "Looking for these?" The girl took the glasses gratefully and put them on.

"Oh my gosh, thank you! It would be terrible if I lost those, I just got them...I'm so sorry for bumping into you, I'm such a klutz sometimes," the girl said. "I'm Tashigi." You let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't Kuina here to take you home.

"(Y/n)."

" _You're_ (Y/n) the Prodigy?!" You smirked.

"In the flesh."

"I've been trying to find you ever since that headline article about you! You would be a great addition to the Marines!" Your mouth turned down into a frown.

"Sorry, but I have some other goals in mind. Being a bounty hunter keeps some options open." Tashigi's face fell a bit.

"Oh. Um, alright then. Thank you for all your help catching pirates! Would you like to see any of the newer bounties we have?"

"No thanks," you said, giving her a wave as you left the Marine base, swords by your side. "I'm taking a break for a bit." The many colorful stalls and shops that crowded the town had quickly become dull and uninteresting to you during your time here. Mindlessly walking around, you passed by the sword shop you had often frequented. Stepping inside, you went to a secluded nook in the back of the store and looked at the sword cleaning products. Just as you grabbed the last thing you needed, you heard the bell on the door chime, indicating an incoming customer.

"I'd like to buy some swords." The gruff voice sounded familiar to you, but you couldn't figure out why. Was he a pirate you'd taken down before that had somehow escaped? Hiding behind a shelf close by, you gripped your sword tightly. "I have 100,000 beris."

"You're only gonna get a couple of dull blades for 50,000 beris each."

"I don't care, just give me some swords." The shop owner must have seen something interesting about the person's sword, because he began to stutter and ask to hold it. He then threw out prices for the sword, none of which the person accepted. The chime of the bell on the door broke your concentration on the conversation, making you instinctively turn your head towards the door.

"Hi! I'm here to pick up my sword you polished!" It was the voice of the Kuina look alike. What was her name? Tashigi? She rambled about some commotion at the Marine base and her glasses or something. Out of nowhere, she gasped. "Is that the Wado Ichimonji?!" Your eyes widened and you help back a gasp of your own, not wanting to give away your position.

"No...It can't be the Wado...That's Kuina's sword! Who would she ever give it to?" You thought, mind racing and heart pounding. Controlling your urge to confront whoever it was, you stayed in your spot, hidden behind the shelf, listening to Tashigi's ramblings about the Wado Ichimonji. The shop owner grew furious with Tashigi for "blurting it all out", and threw her sword at her. Tashigi being Tashigi of course, stumbled _sideways_ and was about to collide into the display of swords right in your line of sight. Silently cursing her under your breath, you released the death grip on your sword and ran to catch her before she made contact with any of the swords.

"(Y/n)!" She beamed gratefully. "I'm so sorry for always bumping into you!"

"(Y/n)...? Could it be...?" Zoro thought, looking in your direction. Tashigi was in the way, however, blocking his view. She deeply bowed to you in apology, giving you a clear view of the other person at the counter. Your eyes went wide.

"Zoro...?" He was stunned. It's been two years, but he finally found you. Even after his countless rehearsals of what he would say to you when he found you, he was speechless. His jaw was slack, still in shock. Tashigi got up from her bow, blocking your view of Zoro and vice versa.

"Oh no," you thought to yourself, feeling the heat rush to your face. "He's hot...!" Little did you know, he was thinking the exact same thing about you.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Tashigi asked. You blinked, still processing what you just saw.

"N-No, it's nothing." Tashigi promptly turned to the shopkeeper and began giving him an earful about scamming people. You, however, were mesmerized by Zoro and vice versa. Who knew that he could go from brat to _this?!_ Before Zoro could make his way to you, Tashigi took him by the arm and dragged him to the barrels of cheap swords. Still frozen in your spot, you could only watch as Zoro and Tashigi sifted through the swords.

"I know that sword!" Tashigi finally piped up. "That's the Sandai Kiketsu!" The shopkeeper became filled with a look of fear, and spoke up.

"I don't know if you want that sword..."

"Why not?" As soon as Zoro felt it in his grasp, he knew why.

"It's cursed." He unsheathed it, and you felt a shiver go down your spine. He stared at the blade, face void of expression. Time seemed to stop as he nonchalantly tossed the blade in the air, extending his arm in the process. Twisting and twirling, the cursed blade swiveled through the air and you could have sworn you felt your stomach drop as the sword began its descent. The sword landed in a floorboard, and as soon as Zoro picked it up, you rushed over and smacked him over the head.

"Ow, the hell was that for?!"

"You're such an idiot!" You huffed. "Always trying to get yourself killed, I swear..." Zoro's vein practically popped out of his forehead as his face flushed red.

"You're one to talk! You—" Cutting him off by placing a finger to his lips, you pointed to the shopkeeper who had another sword with him.

"Shush up and take the swords the nice man is giving you." You could see the steam blowing from Zoro's ears now, but he wordlessly took the swords and stomped out, barely grumbling out a thank you to the shopkeeper. Waving to Tashigi as you walked out the door, you jogged a bit to catch up to Zoro. He still clomped his feet down on the pavement, fists tightly gripping his new swords. He suddenly turned to you, yelling an outburst that earned stares from onlookers.

"Why'd you run away?!" The anger and urgency in his question didn't faze you. You had been expecting him to ask as soon as he saw you. Gently placing a hand on his shoulder, you noticed him visibly relax.

"Let's go back to my house and I'll answer everything you have to ask me. Okay?" He nodded in response. You began to walk in the direction of your house, hearing his boots hit the pavement indicating he was following you. No sooner than five paces however, you heard him turn. Looking over your shoulder, you saw him heading in the opposite direction of you. Quickly grabbing his hand, you caught his attention.

"It's been nine years and you still have the worst sense of direction ever." A blush rose to his face, unbeknownst to you.

Zoro would never admit it, but he missed the warmth of your hand when you let go to open the door of your home.

Stepping into the doorway, the first thing Zoro noticed was how cozy your house was. A couch with several fluffy pillows on it was situated by the fireplace, and the small dining table had an assortment of fruit on it. A hallway led to other rooms, but you simply walked past it to another door on the other side of the room. Opening it, you gestured for Zoro to follow you.

"C'mon. I think you'll like it back here more." He silently followed, and was in awe of the view. Your house was in front of a large grass covered cliff, with a perfect view of the ocean below. "Loguetown is a great place, but it's way too cramped down there. I was lucky I got to snag this place at all," you said, taking a seat on the massive tree stump nearby. "It kind of reminds me of home." You pat the empty part of the stump next to you, inviting Zoro to sit with you. He didn't need to be told twice. A silence fell over the two of you as you enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff side. Turning to Zoro, you stared at him, soaking in his appearance. Even though he had stayed mostly the same, there was also so much that had changed. Finally noticing your gaze, he looked to you, a hint of a blush and a smirk on his face.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," you lied. "Just wondering when you got these." You drew your finger across his earrings, making them dance together like wind chimes. Zoro's blush only deepened.

"Don't laugh..." he stuttered out, suddenly embarrassed. "I got them when I left Shimotsuki, I thought they looked cool..."

"Well I like them." You smiled brightly at him, and he felt a smile of his own tug at his lips. It soon vanished as he remembered why he was here.

"Why did you leave?" A heaved sigh left your lips.

"Well, it honestly had been building up for a long time. I really admired you, Zoro and it hurt that you never wanted to challenge me." You looked towards the horizon, watching the crystal waves rise and fall. "It's so stupid looking back now, leaving my whole life behind because of a boy. But you weren't _just_ a boy. You were my first love."

Looking back now, it was painfully obvious to Zoro that you loved him back. All those times you watched him train, patched him up when he got hurt, and kept him company during breaks flooded into his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his mouth to form words.

"It just hurt. Every time I saw you, you were working to beat Kuina. Talking about her stance. Her skills. Her swing. _Her_." A tear slipped down your face and you wiped it away. "It was suffocating always feeling so second-class." A breeze blew by, making your hair softly whip around your face. The quiet jingle of Zoro's earrings filled the silence. "Anyway, enough about me. How's everyone at home? Is Kuina still training?" Zoro's lips pursed and formed a thin line, but you didn't notice. "Who am I kidding, of course she is. Swordsmanship is her whole life. How...How has she been with me being gone? I know by leaving, she was the only girl left in the dojo..."

"(Y/n)."

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Your innocently curious face only made it harder for Zoro to tell you the truth.

"Kuina...she..." Zoro took a deep inhale in, trying to find the right words to say. "She's gone."

"What do you mean?" You asked, nose scrunching slightly in confusion. "Did she leave the dojo? Where is she now?"

"No, the night you left, she...fell down the stairs." Zoro nervously fiddled with the grip of the Wado as he remembered the night where things went wrong. "When we found her, it was already too late." You shook your head, slowly standing up and walking away from the stump.

"No. You're lying."

"(Y/n), please—"

"Don't lie to me Zoro!" Your hands were balled up into fists and tears freely streamed down your face. Zoro reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of something. He walked to you, handing you what appeared to be old photos.

"She was holding these when we found her." Shakily taking the photos, you saw that it was the picture you tore into two when you were just ten. Your breath hitched in your throat as the realization hit you.

"These were in my room—!" You hiccupped, falling to your knees. "S-She must have found them and went looking for me! I'm the reason she's—" You were cut off as your face met something warm. Zoro squeezed his arms around you, embracing you as you sobbed.

"Don't say that. It's not your fault. It was an accident. Don't blame yourself."

As your weeping winded down, you pulled yourself away from his chest.

"I got tears on your shirt...sorry." He chuckled a bit.

"It's okay. It's been through worse."

"If you don't mind me asking my own question now," you began, putting the two halves of the picture together. "Have you always carried these around?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It kept me grounded. It had both the girl I admire," he said while pointing to Kuina, "and the girl I love." He dragged his finger across the photo and pointed to you. Your head snapped up to meet his eyes, searching for any hint of dishonesty in his sentence. There was none.

"The only reason I never fought you was because you were better than Kuina. If I couldn't beat Kuina, how much of a chance did I have in beating you?" The tenderness of his smile made heat rise to your face and your heart beat fast. "I even became a bounty hunter to try and find you."

"What do you mean?"

"After reading that article about you, I swore that I'd find you again, no matter what. Becoming a bounty hunter seemed like the best course of action."

"So, you became a bounty hunter just so you had a better chance of finding me?"

"Yep." As sweet, heartwarming, and moving as that was, only one thought was in your mind.

"Copycat." Zoro's face scrunched up in confusion and slight offense.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," you said, standing up and brushing off your clothes, handing him the photos in the process. He also rose, putting the photos away before crossing his arms.

"That wasn't very nice of you," he frowned. You stuck your tongue out in response.

"Wasn't meant to be."

"That's it." He began to chase you with outstretched arms ready to tickle you.

"Wait no—!" You yelped as he almost got you. The both of you ran across your backyard as you giggled and squealed in delight. Eventually, Zoro caught you, but accidentally tripped and pushed you down to the ground. You landed on your back and opened your eyes to see Zoro's face merely inches from your own. The two of you just stared at each other. Your hair had splayed out on the grass perfectly and your eyes were wide in wonder and shock. After what felt like forever, Zoro slowly brought his head down, accidentally and ever-so-lightly grazing his nose against your own before delicately bringing his lips to meet yours. You kissed back, but Zoro suddenly pulled away and winced, feeling something cold hit the back of his neck. Helping to pull you up, Zoro noticed how the sky had turned gray and that fat raindrops had begun to fall.

"We should go back in," you said sheepishly, heading back inside your home. Shutting the door once Zoro was inside, you weren't sure what to do.

"Crap, it's getting late," Zoro said, glancing at the clock. "I should head back and meet my captain." You tilted your head.

"Captain?"

"Yeah, it's a long story, but I'm a pirate now."

"I thought you were a bounty hunter!" You cried. "That's like, the complete opposite of a pirate!" Your outburst made Zoro's eyebrow raise slightly. His face softened, however, when he remembered all the scummy pirates he had turned in himself. He could only imagine how much worse the pirates treated you since you were a girl.

"(Y/n), my captain is a good man. I wouldn't have joined him otherwise. I trust him like I trust you." Your gaze cast down, and your next sentence was barely above a whisper.

"Does that mean you're leaving now?" Zoro's lips tugged down into a frown as he watched you deflate.

"Yeah..."

"If you're in Loguetown, you're probably heading for the Grand Line. Will I ever see you again?" Zoro averted his gaze, not wanting to see how heartbroken you were. He knew full well that you'd probably never meet again. Unless...?

"You can come with us," he blurted out. "I-If you want." Your head shot up, mouth slightly open in surprise. Memories of countless evenings spent staring at the edge of the sea poured into your mind. Each night, the wind had blown towards the horizon, as if calling you to venture out and discover the secrets of the Grand Line. It was now or never.

" _Yes!_ More than anything!" An excited childish grin blossomed on your face and Zoro felt his ears burn with blush as you dashed off into your room. In ten seconds, you dashed out of your room and out the door, grabbing Zoro's hand in the process. The two of you were immediately pelted with rain, but neither of you minded.

"Someone's eager to leave, huh?" Zoro teased, cocky smirk on his face. You felt your face turn red.

"Shut up. I've been ready to leave for a long time." As soon as you touched down on the cobble streets of Loguetown, a voice called out, making both of you stop in your tracks.

"ZOROOOOOOO WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Is that your captain?" You huffed, out of breath.

"Yep. Wonder what trouble he got into now," Zoro sighed, running his free hand through his soaking hair.

"ZORO! WHEREVER YOU ARE, MEET US AT THE DOCKS!" The same voice called out.

"Well then," you said glancing to Zoro. "To the docks?"

"To the docks." Without warning, the two of you sprang forward hand in hand, sprinting through the rain once more. Thunder and lightning rumbled out above your heads, but nothing could scare either of you now. You had each other, and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _"Hey."_
> 
> _"Yeah?"_
> 
> _"Wanna know something?" Zoro's eyebrow raised in curiosity._
> 
> _"Sure."_
> 
> _"When I first saw you in that store, my first thought was that you grew up to be pretty hot." You said, completely unfazed. Looking to Zoro, you saw that his brow was furrowed, lips curled into a frown, and face completely flushed. "Oh my gosh, you're so adorable!" You squealed, planting a kiss on his rosy cheek. His face only grew darker._

**Author's Note:**

> This is honestly one of my favorite fics that I've written so far, hope you guys like it too!


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